Chapter 374

After briefly observing the situation, Ji Ming applied a Suggestion Technique of 'don't pay attention outside the line of sight' and 'just patrol a little' to that protector.

Then he continued forward, applying the same suggestion to everyone he encountered, turning them all into blind patrol soldiers in the game.

The further he went forward, the more the armed personnel patrolling the increasingly wide rock cavern grew, and soon the density reached a point where, without special means, relying solely on physical skill, it would be absolutely impossible to sneak in.

Even though Ji Ming had a breath‑holding talisman on him, he nearly collided head‑on with one of them while turning a corner; if his dodge speed hadn't been fast enough, he would have had to directly summon the twin wolves to attack, forcing a violent stealth approach.

He silently cursed to himself, and he also noticed something odd: when these protectors met each other, they seemed to have no interaction at all.

If they weren't all trained like emotionless cold‑noodle Asuras, the only possibility is that they simply didn't know each other, coming from different churches.

But there was no need to keep guessing, for after walking a stretch further along the labyrinth‑like underground cavern, Ji Ming's guess was confirmed.

He finally reached the core of this underground labyrinth; beside that heavy door hung almost an entire wall covered with divine emblems.

If this were an adventure‑movie, even the invincible Dr. Indiana Jones would have turned pale with fright, since one of the emblems was carved with a lifelike, ferocious poisonous snake.

But in Ji Ming's eyes, the scene felt like walking into a restaurant, looking up, and seeing the menu hanging above the counter, every dish written clearly—giving a sense of ease.

Moreover, whether Ji Ming knew them or not, all kinds of divine emblems appeared, yet Lao Yang Tou's was conspicuously absent.

Thus, as a saint recognized by the believers, the Shadow God's Chosen—Ji Ming—became angry.

——If they dare not call me big brother at today's meeting, I can't even imagine what they'll dare do at tomorrow's meeting!

He then employed shadow magic, turning into a flowing shadow, and forcibly squeezed himself through the tightly sealed counter‑locked door.

When Ji Ming found a suitable vantage point and lay on the ceiling looking down, he was delighted.

It turned out that the underground chamber, which occupied a considerable area, already held many people, their heads bobbing like a Spring Festival travel rush train station.

They gathered around the central wide stone round table, obviously standing according to their respective factions.

Moreover, since they came from different churches, they certainly had different decorative preferences and clothing styles.

Some had whitened their faces like snow, as if preparing to play a ghost.

Others smeared red oil paint on their faces, daubing chaotic patterns, possibly to perform a grand opera.

Still others shaved their heads bald, tattooed a mess of chaotic designs all over, and even opened a third eye on the forehead.

Even worse, not knowing what monstrous thing they worshipped, it was as if they had come to a disability rehabilitation center—there wasn't a single person with all four limbs and five senses intact.

Thus, at a glance, this bunch of lunatics defied description with their bizarre shapes; together they were a riot of colors, like a large pizza sliced many times over.

Furthermore, the meeting had barely begun, and the divine officials sent by each church were now speaking in extraordinarily strange voices—some shrill, some hoarse, some cold, almost expertly using "heh heh heh" as punctuation—excitedly complaining.

"Heavenly God above, those damned mysterious assassins! This week our Wu Ling Church has lost at least three secret strongholds, and they struck with such vicious cruelty that even having no survivors would be bad enough—yet they all died with their throats slit, how are they supposed to return to the embrace of the Great God?"

"A knife? That would be pure bliss for my friend—good heavens, my brother, who had just been appointed leader of a regional diocese and showed not a trace of resistance, was mysteriously poisoned to death in his sleep; if not for the flower stuffed in his mouth, I wouldn't even know it was murder."

"Speaking of that, actually our church also…"

"Enough, enough! It's pointless to keep bringing up just being killed by others—everyone's been through that, what's the big deal? I think what we should really care about now is… who can tell me whether those Pioneers still have anyone in charge!"

In an instant the discussion grew more heated, as everyone tried to speak, the sound of shouting abuse rising like a hundred schools contending.

"Speaking of that, the night before last they attacked one of our very important churches! By the time our reinforcements arrived, not only had the painstakingly gathered funds been taken, but even the statues atop the church roof had been knocked down and carried off!"

"What is this? A few days ago I went to investigate an outpost that had lost contact for three days; when I arrived I discovered that not only were the supplies gone, but the guards' rapidly rotting corpses were left wearing only single garments—they were so ruthless they even stripped the armor right off their bodies!"

"How laughable—what's there to complain about just that? Come hear my story! The day before yesterday… snivel… a bunch of scoundrels… they swaggered straight into our altar, which we had only just moved deep into the mountains, snivel… and looted our great goddess's statue clean away, snivel snivel snivel!"

Huh?

Ji Ming glanced at the emblem on the chest of the weeping man, flipped through the Player Forum, and realized his sense of familiarity was indeed because he had only just seen it today.

【Master‑grade Stellar Universe Goddess Statue, genuine stock, personally snatched from the church, no knife, what you see is what you get, can include exquisite paint job, details via private chat】

Below was posted a rather exaggerated price, so many players in the comment section angrily denounced the profiteering dogs—'How damnable, the price goes up every day!'

……

Hey, brother, think of the bright side—at least your goddess has successfully acquired her own tag in this other world, and the fan‑works output… is, is actually quite a lot.

He temporarily bookmarked the mysterious string of characters posted by the mysterious netizen, continued to observe, and found that truly every church was seething with bitter resentment.

Once this topic was broached, it couldn't be stopped, so they grew more and more indignant, more and more hysterical, the situation feeling as if it might spiral out of control.

One individual, his whole body covered in tattoos to the point where you couldn't tell what species he was, even more eagerly jumped onto the table, waving his fists and cursing loudly.

"They're nothing but a bunch of bandits! Scum of humanity! Bastards! Beasts! Livestock! Parasites! If it weren't for their misdeeds, we would have long since expanded our influence into the Peach Blossom Territory!"

As soon as those words were spoken, another wave of fervent excitement swept the crowd, and everyone joined in shouting abuse together.

But as they kept on cursing, the few divine officials seated at the table suddenly fell silent, because…

Hey, since they were sent to participate in such an important meeting, their status in their respective churches is naturally very high.

As the saying goes, 'the higher you go, the colder it gets'; when a person feels that chill, their hot blood cools and their mind clears, so they won't be as fanatical as the followers behind them.

So…

A dozen or so representatives exchanged embarrassed glances, all feeling that these words were aimed at themselves, and finally one of them spoke.

"Cough, insulting others is actually useless—it doesn't solve anything, haha, let's just stop the cursing and continue talking about our own affairs."

Another official, sporting an exaggerated beard, quickly chimed in.

"Yeah, we…"

He suddenly cut off, and his expression changed.

"Wait, did that guy just mention the Peach Blossom Territory? That's our turf! Who gave you permission to come preach over there!"

The Strange‑looking official glared his eyes upon hearing that.

"Your territory? Ridiculous! Did you write your name there? You say it is, so it is!"

"I…"

The Long‑bearded official was choked by his words, not because he had nothing to say, but because something else suddenly occurred to him.

"Damn, going by that, I thought… I thought it was those mysterious assassins who did it, but it turns out it was because of you!"

The Strange official, nearly beside himself, almost jumped onto the table again, pointing at the Long‑bearded one's nose.

"What? Don't spout bloody nonsense! I've never lifted a hand against you!"

Before the long-whiskered one could speak, another priest suddenly came to his senses.

It mentions long whiskers (maybe a name? It's actually a descriptor meaning long whiskers, not a name. Priest is a title, not a name. No proper name.

"Wait, I also suddenly felt… Could it be that only the Pioneers killed my family? I have a feeling that some old friends might also be suspicious!"

It mentions Pioneers (provided as Pioneers). Also maybe my family's no.

The priest next to him suddenly slammed the table.

- No name.

"Damn it, what do you mean?"

- No name.

He was startled, but he couldn't back down in this situation, so he also slammed the table.

- No name.

"Did I mean you? Guess what I mean!"

- No name.

The other party simply drew the long knife from his waist with a swish.

- No name.

"You're looking for death, huh? Do you want to fight?"

- No name.

Flames also ignited in his hand.

- No name.

"You think I don't dare?"

- No name.

Seeing that two sides had already brandished their weapons, the other churches, afraid of suffering a loss, also took up positions.

It mentions a church (not a specific name) and two families (or two sides), but they are not named.

In an instant, the cave was tense with swords drawn and bows cocked, as they were about to launch their strongest fire attack.

- No name.

Ah?

- No name.

Ji Ming, stuck to the ceiling, never expected this—he clearly hadn't even joined the fight yet, so why were they about to engage in a heated internal battle?

It mentions Ji Ming.

……

- No name.

That works too!

- No name.

When playing games, he loves to watch wild monsters fight each other, then wait until one side is defeated before going up to give the champion some rewards, like a big cleaver or a small stew pot.

- No name.

So he moved a bit toward the center of the arena, finding a more convenient spot to sit and watch the show.

- No name.

After a brief standoff, the people around the round table, the strange priest possibly realizing he was at a disadvantage, decided to strike first, and while turning his waist blade, he slightly opened his mouth.

It mentions a strange priest (title), not a name.

However, his leg muscles were already tensed, ready to shout and rush in to tear things apart, when suddenly a rhythmic knocking came from the tall, heavy door.

- No name.

This knocking sounded like a cool breeze, easing the tension in the scene.

- No name.

After thinking for another second, the strange priest couldn't help but feel like retreating, and his whole body relaxed.

It mentions the strange priest again.

— Can't go all out, otherwise how would we make money?

- No name.

"That…"

- No name.

No matter how many people attend, there must be an organizer; even when everyone was just fired up, he didn't even have a shred of speaking rights.

It mentions an organizer (not a name).

After seeing that the situation might turn around, a priest adorned with metal ornaments in the crowd still stepped forward, actively throwing down his weapon.

It mentions a priest (title), no name.

"Fellow colleagues, we gathered here to solve problems, didn't we? Now is a time of crisis; everyone, remember to value harmony above all!"

It mentions colleagues (not a name).

With this step, the calm representatives also gave up the idea of resolving things by force, and they all echoed in agreement.

It mentions representatives (not a name).

"Yes, no more fighting!"

- No name.

"That's right, the Cold Iron Church usually treats us kindly; I'll give them this face!"

It mentions the Cold Iron Church (a sect/faction name). Also grandpa maybe not a name.

"Yeah, everyone's losses are already big enough; let's call it quits."

- No name.

Amidst the sound of weapons being put away and stools being dragged back to sit, the Cold Iron Church priest who had just secretly sent a signal finally let out a sigh of relief.

It mentions a Cold Iron Church priest (title/role), not a proper name.

Ah, I originally wanted to wait a bit longer, but if we don't invite them out now, we might be doomed.

- No name.

He hurried to the door and activated the magic circle; the door, capable of withstanding high-level magical bombardment, slowly opened under the magic's drive.

- No name.

Ji Ming thought another valuable item had arrived, but upon closer look, he realized something was off.

It mentions Ji Ming.

Neat hairstyle, elaborate clothing, a meaningless staff, a slightly raised head… this is clearly a noble!

It mentions a noble (not a name).

"Oh, I respectfully welcome you, my noble friends!"

It mentions noble friends (not a name).

Moreover, after the Cold Iron Church priest respectfully made a gesture of invitation, the nobles filed in one after another—not just one, but a continuous stream of men and women, old and young, numbering over ten.

It mentions the Cold Iron Church priest again.

Afterward, the guards became even more extravagant—hundreds of iron-armored soldiers, and Ji Ming even noticed that one of the armored swordsmen must be at least level forty.

It mentions Ji Ming and iron-armored soldiers (not a name).

Placed before him, he was as lowly as an ant, but in the south, as long as he didn't get too arrogant and didn't violate the norms of nobles and the church, he was practically like a deity.

It mentions nobles and the church (not specific names).

Now Ji Ming, who had been just watching the show, couldn't stay seated, because if those dozen or so seated priests represented a dozen or so evil god churches…

It mentions Ji Ming, priests, and the Evil God Church (a faction name).

So those dozen or so are obviously not nobles together; could they be representing…

It mentions nobles (not specific).

"Please spread out a bit, haha, this table is too small, obviously not suitable for our ever-growing alliance!"

It mentions an alliance (not a name).

After the Cold Iron Church priest finished speaking, magical energy surged and the earth trembled.

It mentions the Cold Iron Church priest.

Under the effect of another magic circle, the round table was further filled and expanded by rising stones around it, becoming a larger square council table.

- No name.

Church and noble representatives then took seats on the left and right accordingly, while the priests sat happily in the middle, directly facing the door.

It mentions church representatives, noble representatives, and priests (not specific names).

The round table indeed has no hierarchy, but according to the etiquette of square tables in the Yangyue World, those seated here should be the elders.

It mentions Yangyue World (provided) and square table etiquette (not a name).

Hmph…

- No name.

However, although some of those seated frowned at the sight, they didn't challenge him because of his little cleverness.

- No name.

Moreover, the Cold Iron Church priest didn't give them any chance to speak; after sitting down, he secretly felt pleased for a moment, then quickly stood up.

It mentions the Cold Iron Church priest.

"I suppose there are strangers and old friends among those present; regardless, please allow me, as the conference's organizer, to introduce each guest in turn."

It mentions an organizer (not a name).

Having said that, he eagerly began introducing the identities of the guests on both sides.

- No name.

Ji Ming listened while searching keywords in the players' homemade wiki, and by the end he was left dumbfounded.

It mentions Ji Ming.

That's right, those dozen or so nobles represent a dozen or so families, or rather a dozen or so noble territories.

It mentions nobles (not specific).

If you add them together and place them on the southern map, it's roughly half the land!